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Friday, January 31, 2014

We are in the throes of winter, which often means at least one bout with sick children. Or a sick mom.

But hopefully not both.

But Emeline shares in her guest post how God met her, even when sick.

Prayer and the Flu

By Emeline Lehman

I didn’t ask God to send us the flu.

No, it wasn’t what I had in mind at all. I had prayed for
something, yes, but I wanted something easy. I sensed an
independent, I’m-doing-pretty-good-all-by-myself attitude in my
heart. It bothered me. I wanted to lean hard on God, to feel my
need of Him and His sufficiency in my life.

So I had prayed. Please, God, send
into my life whatever it takes to draw me closer to You. A
worried feeling crept over me. But please, please, God, I don’t
want anything too hard.

A few days passed, and I forgot about
my prayer.

An ache stole into my bones. Weariness
claimed me. My baby slept, my girls played, and I napped. I woke
with a temperature of 102 degrees. I groaned when I tried to sit up.
Not only did my head hurt, it whirled. I crept along hanging onto
the wall as I headed to the kitchen for a drink.

I found my way back to the couch and
assessed the damage. Never in my married days had I felt so awful.
Carlos was six weeks old, Heather was three years, and Kelsey was
five. They all needed my care. I also had a feverish, aching body,
and a head so large and heavy that I couldn’t carry it, let alone
my baby. I admit that my brain was operating under the influence of
a fever, but a brilliant thought came to me. Call Mom. Maybe she
could come and help.

I did. She could.

So I gave myself over to being sick in
earnest. It wasn’t easy.

When Mom brought Carlos for a feeding,
I propped myself up. I had another brilliant thought.

“Maybe,”
I said, “I got sick first so that I can sympathize when everyone
else gets sick. But they had better wait till I’m better.”

They didn’t.

Heather greeted the next morning with a
fever. I did too. We moaned together. Carlos was his normal self,
which means he needed plenty of care. Heather was her sick self,
which means she also needed plenty of care. Kelsey was healthy and
she occupied herself by wishing to be sick.

The day passed and so did the night.
The sun rose again. Heather and I still had fever, and Carlos didn’t
seem quite right. Sure enough, he got up from his nap with a fever.
Now I was alarmed. Babies as young as he was weren’t allowed to be
sick at my house. He lay in my arms and made soft grunting, moaning
noises. I knew exactly how he felt. In fact, I could have joined
him.

Carlos kept groaning; Heather’s
temperature soared to 104, and she wilted before my eyes. I was
shaky and feverish, and not sure who needed my worry the most.

That night Carlos’s fever came down,
and Kelsey got sick. Finally, she got what she wanted. It was not
what she expected.

I had three very sick children on my
hands. Something about this flu seemed particularly nasty.

The
children’s fevers didn’t respond to medication, and they acted
just as horrible as I felt.

My husband helped when he could, but
even when he was home, we had more sick children then we had laps.

I started feeling depressed. I
wanted to cry. I desperately wanted to do something besides care for
sick children, and more than that, I wanted to feel well myself.

I was sitting on the big green rocking
chair, Heather and Carlos on my lap, and Kelsey across from me in the
glider rocker, when I had my third brilliant thought for the week.
(Three brilliant thoughts in a week is nothing to sneeze at.)

At that time, my brain was
sleep-deprived and fever-fried. But my children all eventually got
well and I did too. Since then, I have had some more thoughts about
prayer and the flu. I know God does not send nasty things into my
life because He wants to torment me. God loves me, and He seeks my
good and His glory. I will continue to ask Him to draw me to Him,
and I will trust Him to send what I need. It may be the flu, it may
be something else. The important thing is for me to trust His
goodness and His power.

He will never let me down.

Emeline has been married almost nine years to Levern and has three children. She lives on a dairy farm in southern Pennsylvania. Emeline loves tea parties, used book shopping, good laughs, warm sharing with friends, quality time with her husband, and bedtime cuddles with her children. She is amazed that
although she heard about God and the Bible since she was born, she still has so
much to learn! You can contact her at levern @ emypeople.net

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Banana
Chocolate Chip Coffee CakeShared by Florence FoxThis is one of the first coffee cakes I ever baked. I got the recipe from
my mom, and it stays in my file as a tried and true keeper.

1
cup butter

2
cups sugar

2
eggs

1
tsp vanilla

2
½ cups mashed bananas

1
cup sour cream

2
tsp baking powder

2
tsp baking soda

2
tsp salt

3
cups flour

Filling:

½
cup brown sugar

1
tsp cinnamon

1
½ cups mini chocolate chips

Pour
half of batter into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with half of filling. Pour
remaining batter on top of filling, then remaining filling. Bake at
350˚ for 50-60 minutes.

Note:
Because I prefer shallower cake and shorter baking time, I often
divide the batter between two 9-inch square pans, or divide the
recipe in half and bake in an 8x11 pan.

Florence
lives in the northwoods of Michigan with her husband and three
preschoolers. Her hobbies are writing and baking coffee cakes. A few
months ago she published a book titled My
First Deer Hunt. This
is a children’s story about the time her husband took their oldest son
(then four-years-old) to the woods for his first hunting trip. The
story is illustrated with real photos, and professionally designed.
Told from a child’s viewpoint, this account will entertain and
educate young children who love wildlife. If you would like to order
a copy, email Flo at foxden@emypeople.net.
The cost for one book is $8.99 plus $2 shipping and handling.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Regina shares directions for making hog maw. Never heard of it? Read on.

Makin' Hog Maw

Shared by Regina Rosenberry

If you didn't grow up with good old
Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, then the dish, Hog Maw, may not hold any
significance to you. But other Pennsylvanian country bumpkins may
share my memories of the excitement and anticipation when Ma would
announce, “Hog Maw for supper!” At times this dish was a family
treat served for special occasions, other times it was just a hearty
meal for a cold winter night.

If you don't know what Hog Maw is and
have a squeamish stomach, you may want to stop reading now!
Otherwise, let me introduce you.

Hog Maw is the Pennsylvania Dutch cover
name for... Pig Stomach! (Don't say I didn't warn you.) When the
oldsters claimed on hog butchering day that everything would be used
except the squeal, they weren't far from the truth. The pig's
stomach was cleaned then stuffed with sausage, onion, potatoes, and
maybe cabbage for a delightful meal.

Since the husband and I haven't tried
our hands at butchering yet, I rely on our local butcher shop or
grocery store to purchase my pig's stomach. I find it for sale where
sausage and other pork meat is sold. It will be labeled as either
Pig Stomach or Hog Maw, and is cleaned and ready to stuff. As you
can see, since I'm feeding a family of 7, I needed an extra large Hog
Maw!

To stuff a regular sized pig
stomach, you will need:

1 lb. loose country style sausage

1 large onion chopped

5 or 6 large potatoes peeled and diced

sliced cabbage if you desire (Growing
up, mom made it at times with cabbage but not all of us children
liked it. I have learned to enjoy it both ways)

I'm sure there are other variations of
recipes, but this is the one of my childhood and the traditional
recipe I am passing on to my own family.

A note: Some folks just bake
sausage, onions, and potatoes together without stuffing the mixture
in the pig stomach. This is good, but will not taste the same. The
pig stomach bakes a certain flavor along with a little broth into the
mixture you just can't get any other way.

Keep in mind this is one of those
recipes where the ingredients are approximate and you may use a
little more or a little less or none at all! Amounts will vary
according to the size of the pig's stomach and your tastes. For
example, my mother always used lots of sausage whereas my husband's
mother used only a sprinkling of sausage and mostly potatoes.

Before stuffing, the pig stomach has
two holes (don't think too hard on what the holes were for) that need
to be closed so your stuffing doesn't come out.

My mother always used heavy thread and
a needle and sewed the holes tight. I'm too lazy and took an easier
route. I get a toothpick and thread the tooth pick in and out until
the hole is closed.

Sew or close the smallest hole shut
before stuffing. You will leave the largest one open until after the
stomach is stuffed.

Now you are ready to fill the stomach.
It doesn't matter in what order you put the ingredients. Just grab a
handful of sausage and push down into the stomach, followed by a
handful of onions, and potatoes with a sprinkling of course ground
pepper, sea salt and garlic powder in between handfuls if you like.

Keep repeating, pressing the mixture
together until the stomach is stuffed full!

Warning: Don't over-stuff the stomach or
it may burst during baking. Leave a little growing room.

Grab a toothpick or your needle and
close the opening until tight. If using tooth picks, it may take
more than one.

Place your stuffed stomach into a 9x13
pan or roasting pan. Put around two inches of water on the bottom,
and sprinkle the stomach with pepper and any seasonings if you like.

Note: You can also cook your
filled pig stomach in a kettle on the stove top. Fill the kettle
with water till the stomach is mostly covered. Put the lid on and
bring to a boil. Turn the heat back and cook at a very gentle boil
till the potatoes are tender, approximately 2 ½ to 3 hr.

Cover your pan, put into the oven and
bake at 350 degrees. Plan around 2 ½ to 3 hours for baking.
Again, this will depend on the size of your pig stomach and how full
it is stuffed. Bake until the potatoes are very tender (jab the
point of a knife through the stomach to check) and the stomach is
lightly browned. As you can see, I didn't heed my own advice, got a
little hogish and filled the pig stomach too full and it burst!

By now, the house will be filled with
delightful aromas and the children will be at the table with their
forks in their hands.

Carefully remove your toothpicks or
pull out your thread so no one chokes. Using a large knife, slice
your Hog maw (the skin may be a little tough) and enjoy every
mouthful along with a squirt of ketchup if you like. And you must
try some of the “skin!” My husband thinks the stomach is a
delicacy and my sisters used to fight over this part, but I've never
acquired a taste for it. One bite is enough for me.

And welcome - you are now a
Pennsylvanian Country Folk!

Regina enjoys life with her husband and five children on a farmette. She takes pleasure in digging her fingers in the garden soil and tending her milk cow, chickens, and goats.

Tina
and her husband Jake live in southwestern Ontario, Canada. She is
Teacher-mom to their five children. She enjoys all aspects of homemaking
(yes, even cooking), teaching, reading, and writing. Her book Daddy on the Mend tells the true story of God's love and care for them when Jake broke his leg.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Marilyn reminds all of us mothers of the eternal importance of motherhood.

A
Sacred Calling

By Marilyn Wiens

My husband and I
smiled at each other as a bamboo steamer of shrimp dumplings, and leaf-wrapped
bundles of sticky rice were set before us.
We sipped green tea from tiny cups and listened delightedly to the
Mandarin chatter around us. A little
boy, playing with a set of chopsticks, sat beside us—the link between us and
this restaurant full of people. We were
elated to have found such an authentic Chinese restaurant in Canada.

After our food
came, my husband said, “Let’s pray.” I
peeked over at Riley and watched as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. His
chubby fists came together, and he bowed his head. My heart constricted, and a knot formed in my
throat. Our son was surrounded by people
with Communist roots, and he was praying!
Such a simple observation, but it blessed my heart. In the ten short months since Riley had joined
our family, he had already learned so much.
What if we had not taught him
to pray? What if one of the first tunes
he learned to hum wasn’t Jesus Loves Me? His little heart and mind were so
impressionable; it was sobering to think of what all he could have learned if we had not been teaching him the ways of God.

What an awesome
responsibility I have as his mother. God
has called me into partnership with Him for the salvation of this soul. The calling of motherhood is a sacred one, no
matter how God brings our children to us.
I thought of my two sons, one by birth and one by adoption.

God needs me to be
broken in His hands, so that I, in turn, can teach my children obedience and
submission. He is counting on me to tenderly nurture their innocent faith
and to help build their character. In
today’s world of fashion, my sons need to see a meek and quiet spirit in me. In a society of crumbling marriages, they
need to witness love and a solid commitment in my relationship with my
husband. They need to hear kind, gentle
words to everybody and about everybody.
They need to see a compassionate spirit in me—one that has the patience
and time to help and reach out to the hurting. In being a loving, sweet, godly mother, I am
forming their concept of God and shaping their future. And it could mean the difference between
heaven or hell.

This devotional was taken from
A Child to Call My Own, a devotional book offering meditations to
comfort and inspire women on their journey from infertility to adoption. God’s
blessing is on adoption. His heart is toward His people who are willing to get
in the trenches and fight for the defenseless little ones. Without our willing
hearts and welcoming homes, these little ones may never know who Jesus is. To order your copy, contact
Children of Promise Publishers at achildtocallmyown@gmail.com

Marilyn lives in
Rosedale, British Columbia with her husband, Leroy and two
sons, Tyler (9) and Riley (4). She enjoys photography,
graphic designing, and cooking. She was one of the editors
and writers for the book A Child to Call My Own. She has a
sensitive heart for women walking the heartbreaking, lonely
journey of infertility and enjoys a personal ministry of
connecting with and ministering to them. You can contact her at marilyn@starlandsupply.ca

Thursday, January 23, 2014

God is a fountain of life, light and
love. In Psalm 36, David praises God for His excellent loving-kindness to the
children of men. Verse nine says, “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy
light shall we see light.” The defining attribute of a fountain is in its
ability to well up from within and spring forth. God satisfies us out of the
abundance of His house. When we pull from His resources, they can never be
depleted. God’s love is like the majestic Niagara Falls – powerful, unending,
and unstoppable.

Adoption is costly.
“But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5) To redeem means to
obtain the release or restoration of by paying a ransom. What was the price God
had to pay for our adoption? It cost Him the price of His Son’s life. The
adoption journey takes its toll on our finances, emotions, and our time. God’s
cost to adopt us was infinitely more than any cost we will ever incur in
adoption and raising children.

Adoption involves legal
status. God’s justice demanded that we be punished for our sins. Jesus
satisfied all legal demands by shedding His own blood. When we accept Jesus’
shed blood as the sacrifice for our sins, we acquire the legal status of adopted
sons and daughters of God. As our relationship with God deepens, we grow in our
love for Him and our desire to please Him. The legal proceedings of adopting our
children usually come before the family has experienced a complete emotional and
physical bond.

Adoption is blessed.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God” (Romans 8:16). God pours out a spirit of belonging upon us and
grants us His affection. He does not leave us alienated without feelings of love
and acceptance. There should be no difference in our affections for our adopted
children and our birth children.

Adoption brings to us rights
and duties. “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Adoption means full membership into God’s family. We
gain an Elder Brother and become heirs to the Father. All God’s children inherit
from the Father together. All our children, whether biological or adopted, need
to receive equal portions of our inheritance.

Adoption is planned.
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto
himself” (Ephesians 1:5). Our adoption was planned from the beginning of time.
Children by birth and children by adoption each have their own uniqueness. The
choice to adopt may come second in our family history but it must not be
secondary in importance to us. Growing a family through adoption can be as
precious as having children by birth.

The ultimate purpose of adopting
children is not giving them parents or filling our empty arms, as important as
that is. The most important reason for Christians to adopt is to provide
children with a home where they will be taught about Jesus and have opportunity
to receive the Gospel. The culture of the church can be changed by the example
of one couple who steps out in vibrant, patient and practical faith. Often it is
enough to encourage many others who are just waiting for direction. Let’s
partner with Jesus one adoption at a time. Our labors in the Lord will never be
in vain!

This devotional was taken from
A Child to Call My Own, a devotional book offering meditations to
comfort and inspire women on their journey from infertility to adoption. God’s
blessing is on adoption. His heart is toward His people who are willing to get
in the trenches and fight for the defenseless little ones. Without our willing
hearts and welcoming homes, these little ones may never know who Jesus is.To order your copy, contact
Children of Promise Publishers at achildtocallmyown@gmail.com

Roy and Kaylene Hartzler live on nine acres in the country in central
Georgia. God has blessed them with four miracle children, Megan, Dixie, Jackson
and Carter. Kaylene enjoys cooking, yard sales, sewing, scrapbooking, and
reading.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

“Did
you ever stop to consider that God may not
give you the miracle you want, but
instead give you the miracle He knows you need?”
the minister asked. He
mentioned some of the miracles that
Christians pray for—cures for terminal
illnesses, answers to financial setbacks,
babies to fill the empty arms of childless
couples.

“But,
dear friends,” the pastor said, “we can win;
we can triumph! No, we may
not make it through the battle with cancer.
God may not spare the life of our
sick child. He might not
answer the desperate heart-cries of the
childless couple. God might
not miraculously send a generous amount of
money in answer to our financial crisis.
But that doesn’t mean He doesn’t
hear. That doesn’t mean He
doesn’t care. He always
answers our prayers, but it may be in far
different ways than what we’re wishing for.
If we come through these fires
shining as gold, that’s victory!
If we come through our trials bowing
in submission to God, then we’ve been
successful! Don’t forget,
loved ones, sometimes God gives us the
miracle He knows we need instead of
the miracle we want.”

Tears
stung my eyes, and I buried my face in my
son’s hair and squeezed him tight. What
if I had tenaciously clung to the miracle
of a biological child and missed the
incredible miracle of adoption?

My
mind went back to those years when I thought
my prayers weren’t being answered. They
were turbulent years—filled with pleading
prayers, bitter tears, and wearying
soul-struggles to accept what God was doing
in my life.

God knew the
lessons I needed to learn. He
knew the things He wanted to teach me—the
new awareness of life and its blessings, a
gentleness of spirit and compassion for
others who are suffering, and the
realization that joy is so much deeper when
it comes after pain and emptiness.God saw the dross; He saw the
“me” that needed to be swept away. He
knew how much heat my will needed to make it
soft and pliable, and He worked His perfect
refining in me by denying me the miracle I
thought belonged to me.

This devotional was taken from
A Child to Call My Own, a devotional book offering meditations to
comfort and inspire women on their journey from infertility to adoption. God’s
blessing is on adoption. His heart is toward His people who are willing to get
in the trenches and fight for the defenseless little ones. Without our willing
hearts and welcoming homes, these little ones may never know who Jesus is.To order your copy, contact
Children of Promise Publishers at achildtocallmyown@gmail.com

Marilyn lives in
Rosedale, British Columbia with her husband, Leroy and two
sons, Tyler (9) and Riley (4). She enjoys photography,
graphic designing, and cooking. She was one of the editors
and writers for the book A Child to Call My Own. She has a
sensitive heart for women walking the heartbreaking, lonely
journey of infertility and enjoys a personal ministry of
connecting with and ministering to them. You can contact her at marilyn@starlandsupply.ca

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Flo is back with another of her wonderful coffee cakes. She said that this recipe is in her top five favorites!

Cream-Filled
Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Shared by Florence Fox

½
cup butter

1
cup sugar

2
eggs

1
tsp vanilla extract

1
½ cups flour

½
tsp baking soda

½
tsp salt

1
cup (8 oz) sour cream

Topping:

½
cup sugar

½
cup chopped pecans

2
tsp ground cinnamon

Filling:

1
TBSP cornstarch

¾
cup milk

¼
cup butter, softened

¼
cup shortening

½
cup sugar

½
tsp vanilla

In
a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture
alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined.

Pour
into two greased and waxed paper-lined 9-in. round baking pans.
Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Lightly cut
through with a knife to swirl. Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes or
until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from
pans to wire racks to cool completely.

In
a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and milk until smooth. Bring to
a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minute or until thickened. Cover and
refrigerate until chilled. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter,
shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and chilled
milk mixture; beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 10
minutes.

Place
one cake on a serving plate; spread with filling. Top with remaining
cake. Store in the refrigerator.

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Welcome! I am Gina, a Mennonite mom who loves serving the Lord, my husband, and dear children (ages 13,11,10,8,3, and1). This is where I ramble about books, broccoli, and baking bread. In May of 2017 my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer so I'll include notes from our cancer journey.